A vendor for Saugatuck Brewing Company pours a sample of beer for a customer at the inaugural Michigan Beer, Wine and Food Fest at Perani Arena & Event Center in Flint on November 10, 2012.William E. Ketchum III | MLive.com

FLINT, MI--On Saturday, hundreds of Genesee County residents and outside Michiganders flocked to Flint to sample all the spirits and meals that their bellies could take.

Townsquare Media teamed with Country Smoke House for the
Michigan Food, Beer and Wine Fest on Saturday at Perani Arena.

A collection of 60 vendors presented customers with an
assortment of more than 145 beers and 60 wines, along with restaurants.

Kylie Gates, live events manager for Townsquare Media, said
that the idea for the event came from the Craft Beer Festival, a similar event
the company put together in Grand Rapids.

"It was a lot of fun, but we wanted to bring in other
elements, not just craft beer," Gates explained. "We wanted to open it up to
people who liked other things as well."

Along with all of the beer, wine and food, the event also included sod, where attendees could play sack tossing and large versions of the classic game "Jenga," where players take turns removing blocks from a tower and balancing them on top. Musicians performed on a stage.

"It's inside, but with the sod and the lights, people have been saying that it really feels like a park in there," Gates said.

Around 8 p.m., Gates said that about 750 people had come to
the event so far, with an hour left to go. Organizers didn't know what to expect, since events like this are largely populated by walk-in customers.

Marina Jimenez and Elena Soria drove from Saginaw to attend
the event. They have been planning the night for a week, when Jimenez saw a
billboard advertising the festival.

"This is great," Soria said, "especially for our first time
being to one."

They enjoyed spinach dip from Paliani's, the Burton eatery
that was recently on Food Network's show "Restaurant Impossible," and a wine
called Holi-Berry. They also enjoyed the presentation from Modern Craft Winery,
where the booth person gave elaborate details about their products.

"I spent all my tickets there," Jimenez smiled.

With a good year behind them, Gates said Townsquare is looking
toward the future.